Business owners and academics have lined up behind the campaign to make Brighton and Hove a ‘super connected’ city.
‘Let Brighton Bid’ is calling on Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, to allow the city to bid for ultra-fast broadband.
Mr Hunt has announced that 14 cities across the UK are being targeted for the ultra-fast broadband project.
This is currently open to cities that have more than 150,000 dwellings. Brighton and Hove has 125,000 dwellings.
Alex Morrison, boss at digital agency Cogapp in Dyke Road, Brighton, said the city should not be ruled out of the competition.
He said: “If any city in the UK can make use of super-fast broadband then it is Brighton and Hove.
“Organisations like Wired Sussex, in New England House, have been leading development of digital media nationally.”
Tom Druitt, boss of the Big Lemon bus company in Boundary Road, Brighton, said the next generation of broadband services are crucial to the success of businesses in the city.
He said: “I use broadband for work and become increasingly frustrated with slow speeds when I have multiple browsers open.”
High level work
Harry Barnett, lecturer in Global Studies at the University of Sussex, said that students and lecturers need access to the very fastest speeds to deliver high level work.
He said: “Given how the city has become so media-friendly, this seems a very logical progression. Not many British cities can claim to have attracted Disney.”
Tom Harrison, head of production at See That Video Communication and Marketing in Church Road, Hove, said the Government must reconsider its criteria for bidding.
He said: “We upload so much video material every day and send material to our clients that access to the highest possible speeds available is crucial to our success.”
Brighton and Hove’s bid for super-fast broadband needs to be submitted by February 13.
Follow the campaign on Twitter by following the #LetBrightonBid hashtag.
Show support
Tell us why you are backing the Let Brighton Bid campaign.
To have your say fill in our online form at theargus.co.uk/news/brightonbid
Comments will be forwarded on to the culture secretary and published in The Argus in print and online.
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